German Car Forum

Careful cultivation of the BMW 3 Series Touring has brought about a round of revisions that see it gently slip into pole position for those seeking the best financial sense in the small executive estate sector. It also enjoys a makeover so subtle that many ladies who lunch will wish their plastic surgeon could wield the knife with such deft care.

In the Metal

You're going to have screw up your eyes to spot most of the changes to the outside of the BMW 3 Series Touring. Like the new saloon, it now has a couple of ridges that run from the grille up the bonnet to give a subtly more aggressive look, while the grille itself now has more prominent 'kidney' sections. There's also a sportier front bumper, new 17-inch alloy wheels for SE models as standard and, at the rear, lights with a little kink in their top edge to help create the sensation of a wider profile.

More pertinent to the way the revised Touring drives, its rear axle is now 24mm broader to set the wheels further apart for greater stability and handling prowess. The engines have also come in for some gentle attention. At the top of the range, the revamped 330d now boasts 14bhp more to produce 245bhp while reducing emissions to 152g/km and upping economy to 49.6mpg. The 325d and 335d also feature improved economy, emissions and performance, while at the lower end of the scale the 318d now comes with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. On the petrol engines, power and economy are unchanged from the previous models' figures.

What you get for your Money

BMW is sticking with its tried and test ES, SE and M Sport trim levels. The SE gains 17-inch alloy wheels as standard, while the M Sport models have a more distinctive body kit of deeper front and rear bumpers and side skirts for a sportier appearance. All 3 Series ordered with BMW's iDrive come with a significantly redesigned system that uses shortcut buttons to find the main functions and there's also a 'back' button to make it easier to return to the previous page. All new 3 Series Tourings come with six airbags, ESP, air conditioning and front and rear Isofix child seat mounts.


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Car reviews | BMW 3 Series Touring | Estate management | by The Car Enthusiast


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